Sanity Is Just A State Of Mind
by Steel
Summary: A short sequel to 'I Still Wanna Play' *Complete*
1. Sanity Is Just A State Of Mind

This is a sequel to I Still Wanna Play, more of a continuation really. If you have not read Wanna Play or I Still Wanna Play, this might be a bit confusing at first, it is to me and I wrote it!

This was an idea I just needed to get rid of, so if you find any discrepancies, please forgive me.

Enjoy.

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

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Sanity Is Just A State Of Mind

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"H, do me a favor, will you?"

"Anything my dear."

"When you dispose of Mr. Mills," she paused.

"Yes," he said patiently.

"Make sure you dispose of ALL of him."

"Why Clarice, whatever are you referring to?" he said as he grinned and gave her a wink.

(The end of 'I Still Wanna Play')

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Clarice and Ardelia sat reminiscing for nearly three hours before it dawned on Clarice that Hannibal still hadn't returned. It was starting to get late and she wondered what could be keeping him. Granted, she wasn't an expert on how long it should take to dispose of a dead body, but it seemed like it was taking longer than it should.

Ardelia noticed the change in Clarice immediately. She could read her friend almost as well as Dr. Lecter. "What's wrong girl?"

"I'm not sure Delia, I just have a funny feeling is all."

"Do you think something's happened?"

"I don't know, but my gut tells me whatever it is, couldn't be good."

"Whatta ya want to do C, you wanna go lookin for him?"

"No, not yet. Anyway, I'm not even sure where he planned on taking Mr. Mills."

"Let's just give it a little more time. I'm sure he'll be back any minute."

"I hope you're right Delia, I hope you're right."

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Hannibal Lecter had just finished with the task at hand. He had stayed true to _his_ girl's request and disposed of Mills' body, ALL of his body. The area he had chosen was very secluded. Secluded enough that he was unaware of the pair of eyes watching him from the cover of the trees. Dr. Lecter was just about ready to depart, having cleared away any evidence of his visit, when something caught his attention. A sound, or a smell, whatever it was, it was too late. 

Dr. Lecter never heard the shot that struck him; he was unconscious before he hit the ground.

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Two more hours had gone by. Not one to panic, especially where her unpredictable counterpart was concerned, Clarice was visibly anxious.

Ardelia, having seen enough of this behavior from her friend said, 

"That's it, where's your keys?"

"They're over on the table, by the door."

"Alright then, let's roll!"

At first, Clarice was going to protest, knowing Hannibal was a big boy and was more than capable of taking care of himself, but it had been five hours and she just couldn't get those two little words out of her head, 'what if?'

"Okay Delia, you win. Just let me grab something."

Clarice ran upstairs and grabbed her 'survival bag,' which contained everything one would need if you found yourself on the run with a wanted fugitive. Weapons, passports, cash and whatever else the good Doctor had decided they might need.

She returned to the livingroom to find Ardelia checking her own weapon.

"Are you sure you what to do this Delia? I'll understand if you'd rather stay here."

"Where you go, I go." she said as she released the slide on her glock and flipped the safety on. 

Grinning widely at her friend for her absolute loyalty she said, "Thanks Delia, let's go."

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Dr, Lecter woke up in a dark room. He was greeted by a searing pain in his right shoulder. As he tried to move, he found that he was secured to the wall. He was seated on some kind of a cushion, probably a mattress, on the floor, arms outstretched to either side of him. The room was cold and damp and smelled musty. The wall that he was attached to was made of blocks; he could feel the mortar lines in between them and figured that he was in a basement.

As he sat trying to figure out what had happened, a light came on. Not too bright, maybe a forty watt bulb, hanging from the center of the room, then he heard the bolt on the door slide open. Not to long afterward, the door creaked open. Above and to his right and saw light protrude from the doorway at the top of some old wooden stairs. 

He took the opportunity to check out his surroundings. The device that was securing him to the wall consisted of padded wrist and ankle restraints that were attached to cables that ran through eyebolts screwed into the concrete block. The balance of the cable was strung along the wall and secured to a workbench at his left. The room, for the most part, was empty. A few boxes were piled up on the floor. There appeared to be no windows, leaving the door at the top of the steps as the only exit.

Finally a figure stirred at the top of the steps. Dr. Lecter watched as the figure descended the stairs carrying a cardboard box. His abductor was a man, approximately six feet tall, medium build; he was wearing dark clothing and a black ski mask. The man didn't speak. He placed the box next to Dr. Lecter's left and removed its contents, a bottle of water, which he opened and some sort of a sandwich. He set the items on top of the box and pushed the box toward Dr. Lecter.

The man walked to the workbench and released just enough slack in the cable holding his left hand, that if he chose, he could reach the items with his left hand and with some effort, reach his mouth. Dr. Lecter sat watching the man, waiting for some clue as to what was he might have to look forward to. 

The man had avoided any contact with the Doctor, physical or otherwise. As the man began to leave, Dr. Lecter shifted his weight and stretched out one of his legs. Seeing the first sign of movement from his prisoner, the man turned and looked at the Doctor. As he did, Dr. Lecter caught a brief stare from his captor before the man quickly turned and made his way back up the stairs, closing the door and bolting it behind him.

Dr. Lecter closed his eyes, only for a moment, for a moment was all it had taken to find and identify those eyes in his memory. He now knew who held him here in this prison. Out of all the people he could have seen, the one he _did_ see, unsettled him the most.


	2. The Game Is Over

Okay LadyofTruths, You gave me what I asked for, so this one's for you.

Thank you to all that reviewed, I wish I could hug you all!

P.S. Would someone be so kind as to volunteer to head the search party for DianaLecter?

P.S.S. Sorry Kurt, I needed a moosh fix!

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

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Chapter 2 The Game Is Over

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Clarice had already checked one of the spots that she thought Hannibal might go, but with no luck. Her second choice turned out to be the correct one. Driving down the deserted path, that was barely wide enough to accommodate the BMW they were in, Ardelia blurted out to her, "STOP!"

"Whatcha got Delia?"

"I think there's a truck parked over there in the brush," she said as she pulled her weapon from its holster.

Clarice's heart skipped a beat, knowing Hannibal had been driving the truck to 'take care of business.'

The two women exited the car and Clarice motioned with her hand for Ardelia to come in from the right side as she took the left. Silently, they approached the truck. Ardelia made a wider pattern, gesturing to Clarice to move in closer. Knowing Ardelia had her back; she crouched down as she made her way to the tailgate of the truck. Standing just high enough to look into the bed of the truck, there was no sign of Mr. Mills. Staying close to the side of the truck, she peered into the cab, it was empty. Then she heard Ardelia in a controlled whisper call,

"C, over here."

Clarice headed for Ardelia's voice. When she came upon her friend, Ardelia was just standing, looking at the ground. Clarice followed her friend's eyes to the spot she was staring at. There appeared to be a small piece of clothing on the ground, along with a fair amount of blood. Clarice walked over to the spot, bending down to retrieve the cloth. A lump formed in her throat as she realized that it was material from the shirt Hannibal was wearing when he left.

"What is it girl?" Ardelia's voice startled her back to reality. 

"It's his." was her only response.

Ardelia reached out and took the small piece of blood stained cloth from Clarice. As she examined it, she noticed writing on the material, along with a bloody fingerprint.

"Hey girl look at this, there's something written here."

The lump in Clarice's throat, slid all the way down to become a twisted pile of knots in her stomach as she read the words:

__

You forgot what he is

Jack Crawford's words echoed through her mind for the first time in many years. She heard the warning he had issued her so long ago, now louder than the lambs had ever been.

"Do you know what it means?" Ardelia asked.

"I don't know Delia. If Crawford was still alive I might have an idea, but I just don't know."

"The Guru? What does he have to do with this?"

"I'll explain it when we get home. You drive the car, I'll get the truck."

Clarice made a final sweep of the area; making sure that there was no trace of their visit, before her and Ardelia headed for home.

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Hannibal sat in his make shift cell with the knowledge that Clarice would no doubt be looking for him by now. He smiled at the thought that she would be kicking herself for worrying about him, but this time she had the right. He made a mental note that in the future he would have to cut her some slack. Besides, it was one of the many qualities he loved about her.

He was relieved to know that Ms. Mapp would be with her now, not that she couldn't take care of herself, but if her temper was left unchecked, who knows what she would attempt.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the bolt slide on the door. When the door finally opened, he watched as the figure came down the stairs holding something in his right hand.

His captor went to the workbench and released the cables holding the Doctor and started to pull, forcing Dr. Lecter into a standing position. When he was finished tightening the cables, Dr. Lecter stood spread eagle against the wall. The figure came to stand directly in front him, now revealing the contents of his right hand. Dr. Lecter showed no emotion as the man unfurled the Doctor's own harpy.

Stepping within arms reach, as if still afraid of what Dr. Lecter could do even from his current position, the man brought the knife to the Doctor's stomach. He exerted only minor pressure as he drug the blade horizontally across Dr. Lecter's abdomen, slicing a thin line through his shirt and first few layers of skin. The Doctor showed no sign that he had felt the blade, only remaining focused on the man in front of him. Apparently finished with his work for the time being, he released Dr. Lecter back to his sitting position and went back up stairs.

When Hannibal heard the bolt slide on the door, he relaxed and let his thoughts drift back to Clarice and hoped she was prepared for what was to come.

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Early the next morning, armed with directions from Clarice, Ardelia set out for the local authorities. The women had discussed it at length before finally deciding it was the only way. Ardelia was taking the material with the bloody fingerprint in hopes that it could be identified and that it was _not_ Hannibal Lecter's.

Ardelia would explain how she found it somewhere on the other side of the city while she was site seeing and hope they might be able to get some clue as to what was going on. Clarice had cut the writing off, leaving only the print. It was a risk, but they had no other choice.

Clarice paced nervously waiting for Ardelia to return with news. She decided to grab her coffee and sit on the steps out front and wait. As she opened the door, her eyes locked on the doormat.

She knelt down to retrieve the object, not believing it was really there until she touched it. Sitting down on the steps, she finally started to cry. 

When Ardelia pulled up, she saw Clarice sitting on the steps, with her head in her hands. As she walked up to the steps she said, "What is it? What's happened?"

Clarice lowered her hands, handing the object she'd found to Ardelia.

"Is this what I think it is?"

Clarice just shook her head.

Ardelia was amazed at the weight of the harpy in her hand. It was perfectly balanced, but it was also covered in dried blood. She could still make out the inscription that read: To H love C.

"I really hate to add to your grief, but we have an even bigger problem." she said as she handed Clarice the results on the fingerprint.

Clarice took the envelope and pulled a sheet of paper from it. As she read the results, she sat in total disbelief. They did indeed have a bigger problem than she could have ever imagined.

The results read:

Results on fingerprint:

16 point match; Right thumbprint

Subject positively identified as; William Graham


	3. Another Game Begins

Noooooo! Not Gregory! I'll try my best Kurt, but this chapter isn't it. I'm not happy with this one, but I didn't have a back up, so here goes.

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

Chapter 3 Another Game Begins

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Clarice sat very still as she digested the words on the sheet of paper Ardelia had given her.

It now made perfect sense. Will Graham had every reason to want to see Dr. Lecter dead.

The Doctor had devastated the world as Will had known it, "And Mills thought _he_ had an axe to grind." she whispered. 

"What?" Ardelia asked.

"Nothing Delia, just thinking out loud."

"So what the hell are we going to do now?"

"I guess that depends on Mr. Graham. He must have something on his mind, or he wouldn't have left me that little gift." Clarice took a deep breath, feeling her strength coming back to her. She was glad; she would need all of her wits about her now, her training, official and unofficial, as it were. She knew Hannibal wasn't dead, not yet, she could feel it, feel him and now she had a target on which to focus.

Standing, she asked Ardelia, "Did you have a hard time getting the information?"

"Not really, but I changed our story at the last minute."

"To what?"

"Well, I figured if I waltzed in there with a bloody finger print without at least a semi reasonable explanation, there would be to many questions and if they wanted to test for DNA, they would probably find that it belonged to Dr. Lecter." She paused, giving Clarice a chance to adjust to the thought. "So I made up this wild story about a few of us here on vacation and a game we like to play, kind of a scavenger hunt, but with people. You know, someone leaves a clue so you know who or where to search next, that sorta thing."

"Man, that's really lame, and they bought it?"

"Hook, line and sinker. They even gave me the material back and wished me luck. I'm sure they chalked it up to crazy Americans. I told them I should have recognized the shirt cuz it was the same one Will wore on the plane over here. Lucky for us, they weren't busy and seem to get a good laugh out of the whole thing."

"Damn, I'm really glad you're here Delia!" She said as she hugged her friend.

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Hannibal had been awake for quite sometime. He wasn't sure what time it was, but estimated it to be early morning. He stretched his legs the best he could, but both arms were stiff from his confinement. The graze he had suffered to his left arm, thanks to Mr. Mills wasn't bad, but his right shoulder ached tremendously. The slash across his stomach was of no concern, as it hadn't been deep enough to do any damage and likewise had caused him no pain, it was merely a symbolic gesture on his captors part.

When he heard the bolt slide on the door, he decided to change the game a bit. After a few moments the figure appeared with another box. Not deviating from his previous behavior, the figure placed the box on the floor, removing another sandwich and bottle of water and pushed it toward Dr. Lecter. After loosening the cable, Hannibal finally spoke, "Peanut butter and jelly? Really Will, I was sure you had a little more taste."

Will turned quickly to glare at Hannibal who could see the anger as well as the fear lodged in Will's eyes.

"And the mask? Did you really think you could keep yourself hidden from me Will? After all we've been through?"

Will angrily pulled the mask from his head, revealing the scar tissue covering his face. He looked as if he would just kill Hannibal on the spot and get it over with, but something stopped him. Trying to regain some composure, he finally said, "Eat if you want, or not, it's up to you, but if you choose not to, there will be no more after this. I'll admit I'm not through with you just yet, but if you want to starve, so be it."

Will turned and started up the stairs only to be stopped by his prisoner's inquiry.

"How does it feel Will?"

Will turned back to face the Doctor and said, "How does what feel?"

"The realization that I was correct."

"Correct about what Dr. Lecter?" 

"That we _are_ just alike."

Will let his eyes drop from Hannibal's as he thought back to the time of their original conversation. Looking back to the Doctor, who was now grinning at him as he said,

"Feels good, does it not?" Hannibal then winked at Will, which drove him quickly up the stairs. Safely on the other side of the door, Will pushed the bolt through and then leaned against the door.

Hannibal smiled as he heard the torment in Will's soft-spoken words from the other side of the door, "Get out of my head."

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Clarice and Ardelia sat in the living room trying to formulate some sort of plan. They had all the information they needed, all except for a place to start looking. Graham could be anywhere.

When Ardelia's cell phone rang, it startled them both. 

"Agent Mapp?" The voice said before she could even say a word.

"Yes, This is Mapp, who's this?"

"Constable Bradley, we met this morning, you left your number, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I remember, what can I do for you Constable?" 

"Richard, please call me Richard. I was just wondering if you have found your friend yet?"

"No, as a matter of fact we haven't found him yet. We got hungry, so we decided to grab some lunch. He's really good at this, he's been here before, in London I mean, so he has the advantage at this point."

"Not anymore he doesn't." Bradley said in a smug tone of voice.

Staring hard at Clarice, Ardelia asked, "What do you mean Richard?"

"Well, I was having coffee at a little shop, when I saw your friend get in a car. He wasn't too hard to spot with those nasty scars on his face. How did that happen anyway?"

"Later, where did he go Richard?"

"I followed him to a small house by the river. I wrote down the address. Would you like to have it Agent Mapp?"

"Very much Richard, what is it?"

"Not so fast, it's gonna cost you."

"Cost me? What are you talkin about?"

"Dinner. It's going to cost you dinner, with me, tonight."

Ardelia rolled her eyes at Clarice, who in return mouthed the word, _what_? 

"Yes Richard, I would love to have dinner with you, but not tonight, how's tomorrow?"

Clarice let out a yelp as she tried to muffle her laughter. When Ardelia hung up the phone she said, "Girl, you owe me for this one!" Ardelia handed Clarice a piece of paper with the scribbled address. "You know where this is?"

Looking at the paper Clarice answered, "Yes, I know where it is."

"Well then, whata we waitin for, lets go get um!"


	4. Demons

You guys are awesome, as usual!

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

Chapter 4 Demons

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Will was lying on the sofa trying to get some much need rest. He couldn't remember the last time he had a good nights sleep. The dreams were always awaiting him as soon as he crossed the threshold into sleep. Nightmares really, although that wasn't a strong enough word, night-terrors were more like it. The dreams including his estranged family were the worst of all.

He tossed on the sofa as he saw them, as if he was a bystander. He saw himself with his wife and son, walking happily down the beach, hand in hand, walking away from him into the sunset. Then, as if on cue, he sees himself turn to look back, but instead of seeing his own face, it's the face of Hannibal Lecter looking back at him, smiling as he puts his arm around Molly's waist. Will bolts from the sofa still hearing the echo of his own screams.

He heads for the sink to douse his face with cold water. His thoughts travel to his prisoner in the basement. He wants desperately to kill him, hoping that by doing so, some of the pain might go away, but every time he's sure the time is right, something stops him. Is it my conscience? Am I still a good man deep inside? Or is Dr. Lecter right and we are just alike. The thoughts were driving him insane. He knew he had to do something before he decided to put his own gun in his mouth and pull the trigger.

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Clarice and Ardelia went into town and rented a car. Clarice didn't want to take any chances that Will might recognize the vehicle they were in. After finding the address, so helpfully provided by Ardelia's new admirer, they parked the car about a mile away in a tourist area by the river.

Covering the distance back to the small house, there was little talk between the women. Clarice understood that her friend was in for the long haul, but she was still an F.B.I. Agent. Clarice didn't feel comfortable about jeopardizing Ardelia's career over what might come, so she quietly tried to think of something that would allow Ardelia to not get in any deeper than she already was.

As they came upon the house, it was just starting to get dark. There were plenty of tress and brush that made for good cover. They angled themselves across from the house about thirty yards away. They had a good view of the front and one side of the house. They decided to wait until dark before taking any action and what _that_ might be, neither knew.

They had been watching the house for over an hour when Clarice saw movement through the binoculars. "We got movement Delia." She said as she handed the binoculars to Ardelia.

"Looks like he's goin somewhere."

"We couldn't be that lucky, could we?"

"Sure as hell are!" Ardelia said passing the glasses back to Clarice.

Clarice watched as Will left the house and got into his car. As soon as his tail-lights were out of sight Clarice said, "It's now or never girl."

The two women broke from their cover and ran for the house. The front door had only a single lock, which Clarice picked with ease.

"Damn C, you're gonna have to show me how to do that someday."

"Thinkin about changing careers Delia?" They both laughed briefly until the door creaked open.

The house was deadly silent. There was one small lamp on in the living room. Clarice noticed the house wasn't in too bad of shape, except for the empty food containers lying around. Ardelia was already checking out the kitchen, so she went into the bedroom. Clarice found a picture of Will with his family on the dresser. As she picked it up, she heard Ardelia call out.

"C, get in here!"

Clarice dropped the picture, the glass in the frame shattered on contact with the hardwood floor as she ran to the kitchen.

"What did you find Delia?"

Ardelia was toward the back of the kitchen staring at a bolted door. Clarice stopped suddenly looking to the door, then back to Ardelia.

Ardelia nodded to her, understanding they would need to check on the other side. Clarice put her ear to the door, but could hear nothing. Swallowing hard, Clarice put her hand on the bolt as Ardelia flipped off the safety on her weapon and pointed it at the door. In one fluid motion, Clarice slid the bolt back and opened the door. Still seeing no movement, Ardelia motioned to Clarice that it was clear. 

Looking through the doorway, Clarice saw a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, it shown enough light for her to make out a form at the bottom of the stairs. Still seeing no movement, she slowly started down the stairs. About mid way down the steps, the form moved slightly.

In little more than a whisper she said, "Hannibal?"

The form shifted once more and responded, "Clarice."

Clarice flew down the rest of the stairs, her momentum almost causing her to fall on Hannibal as she landed in front of him.

"Nice to see you too." He said with a chuckle.

Clarice was in no mood for small talk, first things first. She grabbed his head with both hands and kissed him. Finally breaking the kiss she sat back to assess their situation.

"Are you okay?"

"A little worse for wear, but I think I'll live."

"You better, I'm not through with you yet." She said as she started to unbuckle his restraints.

"What did you have in mind little Starling?" He said raising one brow.

"Never ask, it spoils the surprise."

Now free of his bonds, Hannibal rose to his feet. Clarice helped to steady him while he tried to get the blood pumping to his limbs. After a few minutes, he reached his left arm out and secured it around her waist brining her to him.

"You must remind me to be careful what I say Clarice, as my words seem to find there way back to me at the most inopportune times."

As he kissed her, she put her arms around him and felt him flinch slightly.

She pulled back and noticed the blood on his shirt.

"What did he do to you, you're covered in blood?"

"While I was taking care of our uninvited guest, unbeknownst to me, Mr. Graham had followed me and decided the time was right to renew an old acquaintance."

"Dammit H! Just tell me why you're covered in blood!"

"He shot me in the right shoulder."

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome my dear."

"So what's the prognoses?"

"The bullet is still in my shoulder, but Will was kind enough to dress the wound before I came to. I guess _he_ wasn't quite through with me either." 

Still looking him over, she noticed the slice in his shirt. "And that?" She said moving the material to get a better look.

"That, my dear, is superficial, a gesture, if you will."

"Well what the hell ever, we can reminisce later, we need to get out of here."

"I cannot leave yet Clarice."

"And why the hell not?"

"It's not finished"

"The hell it's not! It _is_ finished and Will Graham almost sealed the deal, now let's go!" She said as she tried to pull him with her toward the stairs.

Pulling her back to him he continued.

"Clarice." He said in his softest tone, "You know my feelings for you. You have my love, my heart and my soul. You know that I would do anything you ask of me, without hesitation or regret, but I must finish this, now. This was not a game I chose to play, but it is one I must complete. Do you understand?"

She looked into his eyes for sometime before resting her head on his chest, finally whispering, "Yes"

"That's my girl."

Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he pushed her from him far enough to look at her and said, "Now, I need you and Ms. Mapp to……"

Before Hannibal could finish his statement, Ardelia yelled down to them from the kitchen,

"Hey guys, we got company!"


	5. My Hero

One more left. I warned ya it was short.

Thank you my faithful reviewers. U guys R da bomb!!

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

Chapter 5 My Hero

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Hannibal felt Clarice's body tense as she tried to break his hold. When he didn't let her go, she looked at him. Seeing the calmness in his eyes strengthened her. 

"What do you want me to do?"

He smiled when he saw his warrior return.

"I want you to put the restraints back on me."

"Are you crazy? No telling what Graham is planing to do to you, I'm not putting those things back on you!"

"Clarice, I want you to put them back on, but do not buckle the restraints, will you do that?"

Looking into his eyes, she knew she really had no choice, "I guess so," she said reluctantly, "Only if you're sure."

With that, he kissed her once more, and then she did as he asked. When she was finished, she reached into her pants pocket.

"Here, I thought you might need this." She said as she placed the harpy in his left hand."

With a wink he said, "What would I do without you?"

After another brief kiss she answered, "Good thing for you, you'll never have to find out."

She turned from him then, climbing the stairs back to the kitchen.

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Clarice decided that she would not leave him this time, he might be mad later, but she would deal with that when the time came. Besides, her anger for Graham needed to be quenched.

She told Ardelia to stay in the kitchen and with her newly acquired make shift weapon, a cast iron frying pan, Clarice stood behind the front door and waited for Will to enter.

Clarice waited patiently for Will to clear the door. She lifted the pan above her head and as soon as she had a clear shot, she lowered the boom.

Will hit the ground hard, dropping the bottle of Bourbon he had left the house for in the first place. Although he was down, he wasn't unconscious. Ardelia came out from the kitchen and looked at Will lying on the floor before raising her eyes to Clarice.

"Whatcha gonna do with that mess on the floor C?"

Slowly returning from her rage, she looked at Ardelia and said, "Go get the car."

"But I think I…."

"ARDELIA, GO GET THE CAR!"

Something in Clarice's voice told her this was not up for debate.

"If it's okay with you C, I think I'll go get the car."

Grinning at her friend Clarice said, "I think that would be best."

As Ardelia reached the door Clarice said, "And Delia, thanks."

Ardelia smiled as she closed the door behind her.

With all her attention now focused on the sorry pile of ex F.B.I. Agent at her feet, Clarice hit him once again with the frying pan, square in the back this time. The moan told her he was still at least partially conscious. 

Will tried to move as he started a slow journey across the floor, trying somehow to escape this crazy female. "Oh no you don't, we still have plenty of things to discuss Will Graham." Clarice kicked him in the stomach, as he tried to roll away from her. "And you thought it was Dr. Lecter you should fear, well you were sorely mistaken." Kicking him again she continued, "Do you have any idea what I would have done to you if he would have been dead when I arrived? Do you!?! You would have wished to God that you'd had the foresight to kill _me_ before trying to execute this sad attempt at revenge. 

Clarice believed she'd been so close to losing Hannibal that she was having some difficulty in controlling her anger as she kicked Will again. When she noticed they had made it into the kitchen and were in front of the still open door leading to the basement, she immediately knew what she was going to do.

With one final kick to Will's mid section, she shoved him through the door. She watched as he slid and tumbled down the steps to the concrete floor. After a couple of minutes, Will raised his head to look at Clarice, who was a quarter of the way down the stairs. The unvoiced question on his lips, translated to the pain she saw in his eyes. He gave her the 'how could you do this' look.

Her answer to his gaze was, "How could I not."

She turned then and walked back up the stairs, once at doorway, Clarice looked at Will Graham for the last time as she said, 

"You were wrong Mr. Graham, I never forgot, but perhaps _you_ have."

With that, Clarice slammed the basement door. When Will heard the bolt slide into place, he let out a sigh of relief that he would have at least a few minutes to recover his breath, that was before the voice next to him said, "So nice of you to visit again Will."

'Shit, I forgot about the other one.' Slowly propping himself up against the wall, he looked at Dr. Lecter. Well at least he was still restrained, for the time being. 

"That's some leg she's got." He said as he spat some blood from his mouth.

"You have no idea." Hannibal said with a smile.

"You know she's probably up there right now trying to figure out how to get rid of me"

"Of that, my dear Will, I have no doubt."

"Well then I guess that leaves me little choice." Will got to his feet, stumbling as he did so and made his way to the workbench. Releasing the cables, he pulled as before so as to get Dr. Lecter into a standing position. Dr. Lecter complied as if he were still bound. Securing the cables back to the workbench, Will stood in front of his prisoner. 

"I had planned on taking a little more time so that I could enjoy this moment, but since time is of the essence, I guess I'll have to make do."

Without warning, Will lunged at Dr. Lecter, wrapping both hands around his throat.

"Maybe it will be of some satisfaction to you, before you die, to know that you _were_ correct Doctor."

Even with his hands tightening around Dr. Lecter's throat, he could still make out the words spoken by his victim.

"Just alike, but not as good."

Before Will could comprehend what had been said, he felt the knife plunge into his side and slice across his abdomen, mirroring the scar that had been placed there by his tormentor so many years ago. Releasing the Doctor, he dropped to his knees grasping his stomach.

This cut was deeper than the original and he knew that this was it. It was finally over. He felt strangely grateful to Dr. Lecter for putting him out of his long, self imposed misery.

Then he passed out.

When Will came to for the last time, he found himself bound to the wall, in the restraints he had used to confine the Doctor.

"Welcome back to the living Will, However briefly that might be. I did so wish to say goodbye. You have been a worthy adversary Will and I have enjoyed our time together, but alas time grows short and I must be on my way. Is there anything you wish me to relay to your loving family before I take my leave?"

Although unable to find the strength to speak, the pain in his eyes spoke volumes.

Savoring the look he received from Will, Hannibal simply said, "I'll make sure I give them the message."

With one last effort, Will tried to pull at the restraints and then collapsed against them.

Pleased with the outcome, Hannibal said, "Goodbye Will," and proceeded up the stairs to once again regain his freedom.


	6. Playtime

Final Chapter. This is the one you've been waiting for Kurt! LOL

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

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Chapter 6 Playtime

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When the unlikely trio arrived back home, Clarice and Ardelia helped Hannibal into the house.

He didn't really need help, but he was enjoying the attention from his avenging angels. Once settled upstairs, Hannibal had Clarice retrieve his medical bag.

"You do realize my dear, that _you_ will have to remove the bullet from my shoulder?"

"WHAT!?!"

"Someone has to do it, and I'm unable to perform such a procedure on myself. Besides, you owe me." He said with a wink as he reached up touching her left shoulder, tracing the length of the thin scar through her blouse.

"Boy, you have more guts than I thought."

"Don't worry Clarice, I will talk you through it, you'll do fine."

Clarice started to laugh.

"Did I say something funny my dear?"

"I was just thinking about the last time someone said to me 'you'll do fine.' If I had only known then…."

"And if you had known?" He asked, already knowing her answer.

Her comeback was immediate, "I wouldn't have changed a thing!" She stated, with a confidence only she could produce at this point.

Hannibal dropped the veil on his emotions, and for a split second allowed Clarice to see the burning passion in his eyes that he held for her. He had thought at some point in their relationship, as time passed, the feelings they held for each other might possibly diminish, or a least calm. They had not. The more time they spent together, only served to intensify what they felt for each other. He literally could not imagine life without her now and knew she felt the same. 

"Hey!"

Returning from his thoughts he said, "I'm sorry my dear, what did you say?"

"And where were you?"

"Why I was thinking about you of course."

"I bet." She said with a sly grin. "But if you want me to get this thing out of your shoulder, you better stay right here."

"Well then, I'm ready when you are."

"Okay, what do I do first?"

Hannibal told her which vile to use to fill the syringe and where to inject his shoulder. She worked on him, listening carefully to his instruction. Before she knew it, she had removed the bullet from his shoulder and was ready to close the wound.

As she began to sew him up, he lifted his left arm and ran his hand down her right side, stopping at her hip.

"You know H, if you keep distracting me, these stitches are going to resemble the laces in my jogging shoes."

"My apologies my dear, but some things just can't wait."

"I'm afraid they'll have to, for now anyway. You need to get some rest and get your strength back."

With his left hand that had been resting on her hip, he grabbed her around the waist pulling her to him. "My strength seems to be returning as we speak." He kissed her deeply before releasing her so that she could finish dressing his shoulder.

When Clarice had finished with his shoulder, she proceeded to clean out the thin slice on his stomach and then the graze on his left arm. After showing her which of the antibiotics to inject into his arm, she did so, hitting the vein on the first try. She kissed him on the forehead before saying, "I'm going to go check on Ardelia, then get cleaned up. Try and get some rest, I'll bring you some tea on the way back."

As she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly as he said,

"You are as the air I breathe, as I could not live without either."

Clarice bent down, barely touching her lips to his as she spoke, "I love you too."

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When Clarice woke up the next morning, she was alone in bed. She could hear voices coming from downstairs. Throwing on her robe, she made her way toward the voices. She found Hannibal and Ardelia sitting at the dining room table having coffee.

"Good morning sleepy head." Ardelia quipped.

"Morning." Clarice responded as she stepped behind Hannibal, kissing him on the cheek.

"How's the shoulder feeling?"

"It's still a bit stiff, but I have an excellent physician and it should be fully operational in no time."

"That's good to hear because we still have some loose ends to tie up."

"That we do my dear. We will also need to make arrangements to be leaving here shortly. Is there any place in particular you would like to go?"

"Wherever you are works for me." She said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Their eyes met as they shared a look across the table.

"You guys are gonna make me blush if you don't knock that off." Ardelia said and took a sip of her coffee.

"What about you Delia? If I remember correctly, you have a date with deputy dog tonight, don't you?"

"Deputy dog?" Hannibal asked raising a brow.

Clarice and Ardelia laughed before explaining to Hannibal the circumstances that had led up to his rescue.

"So, you gonna go Delia?"

"Yeah, I think I will. He's kinda cute and I haven't had any other offers lately."

"Good for you girl."

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After Clarice had finished helping Ardelia get ready for her date and saw her off, with a hug for luck, she and Hannibal set out to finish what they had started the night before.

There wasn't too much to take care of in the house, since Will didn't seem to have a lot of belongings. Cleaning out the basement was the worst of it, but with her partner's experience, the work went quickly.

Finding the broken picture of Will and his family lying on the floor where she had dropped it, Clarice stuck it in her bag and finished cleaning up.

Hannibal decided to bury Will next to Agent Mills. It seemed only fitting that his two would be assassins should remain together in death as both had come so very close to taking his life.

After helping Hannibal place Will's body in the neatly carved hole in the earth, Clarice pulled the picture from her bag. Placing the broken frame and its contents on top of Will's body she said, "May you finally rest in peace Will Graham."

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Later that evening, Clarice lay in Hannibal's arms on the sofa. Both awake, just enjoying the feel of each other's bodies. Clarice knew they would be leaving here soon. She loved London, but she knew it was too much of a risk to stay. Hannibal had asked her where she would like to go and she had answered him honestly. It didn't matter to her where they went. To her, the place didn't matter, only the company. So he asked her if she wouldn't mind just traveling for awhile and if they happened to find somewhere during their travels, they would discuss it then.

She agreed and was excited when he revealed their first stop was to be Greece. 

When Ardelia finally came in, she found Hannibal and Clarice asleep on the sofa. As she tried to be quite, not wanting to wake them, she heard Hannibal ask, "I trust your evening went well Ms. Mapp?"

"Yes, very well thank you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Not to worry my dear, I was not asleep, nor is this lump on my chest." He said with a chuckle as Clarice smacked him. She turned in his arms to rest her back against his chest.

"Okay Delia, give it up. I want to know everything."

Sitting up on the sofa Hannibal told _his_ angels, "If you don't mind ladies, I think I will take this opportunity to change the dressing on my shoulder and retire for the evening."

Leaning in close to Clarice's ear he whispered, "And don't think I've forgotten about that surprise you promised." He gently kissed her neck just behind her ear, sending a shock wave through her whole body. Damn him anyway. Would she ever be able to control the way that her body responded to him? She hoped not.

Ardelia laughed at the sight of Clarice's response. She never thought she would see the day when someone was able to push her friend's buttons so easily, but after spending time with the two of them, she understood completely. She had never seen two people so meant to be together.

Ardelia also came to the realization that she was now prepared to do everything in her power to keep them out of harms way. As long as _she_ had anything to say about it, no one would ever find the whereabouts of Clarice Starling or Hannibal Lecter ever again.

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Thank you again to all you fine individuals for talking precious time away from your busy schedules to review my little ramblings. You truly make this more fun for me than you could possibly imagine!

Steel-


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